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What is an SEO copywriter?

Read Time 21 mins | Written by: Gill Fernley

SEO writers and marketers sat around a desk with laptops - What is an SEO copywriter? - Copify blog

Most businesses know that SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. This is a practice that Search Engine Land defines as

“the process of improving your website to increase its visibility in Google, Microsoft Bing, and other search engines whenever people search for: products you sell; services you provide; and information on topics in which you have deep expertise and/or experience.”

So, SEO copywriting is a writing technique that can help you gain visibility online and to do so you need an SEO copywriter on your side. In this article, we answer the commonly asked question 'what is an SEO copywriter' by exploring the practice in more detail, including the benefits.

What is an SEO copywriter?

An SEO copywriter is someone with the skill to keep both a business' audience and the search engines happy. They are experts in both writing engaging content and experts in search engine optimisation.

Some people still think it's enough to stuff a bunch of keywords into a blog post to fool Google and get their website found. However, SEO copywriters are trained to produce educational, entertaining, authentic and authoritative content for their readers, while seamlessly blending the right keywords and phrases into their copy that will get that content rocketing up the search engine results rather than being blacklisted.

SEO copywriters typically work for digital marketing agencies but they can also work internally at a larger organisation or on a freelance basis.

What is SEO copywriting?

To explain the practice in more detail, SEO copywriting is a type of online writing that combines search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques with persuasive copywriting. The goal of SEO copywriting is to boost a website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) by optimising the content for specific keywords and phrases.

This isn't about sprinkling content with keywords. SEO copywriting is about making sure the right keywords are used, in the right places and in the right quantity.

It also involves making sure that the content is easy to read and engaging for the reader. SEO copywriters know how to craft and lay out a piece of content on the page so that it achieves this.

Having the hallmarks of what Google calls 'E-E-A-T' helps define a piece of content as good quality and is more likely to help it rise through the rankings. That means it should show Experience - Expertise - Authoritativeness - (and) Trustworthiness. 

Read More: What is SEO copywriting?

What does an SEO copywriter do all day?

SEO copywriters often work with other professionals as part of a team to deliver the content for a successful content strategy. They typically work with digital marketers, content strategists and social media marketers, but they can also engage with web designers, programmers and app builders.

When they do get to the writing, just like any other writer, they could be creating anything from ebooks, blogs, sales copy, articles and web copy to social media posts.

The difference between an SEO copywriter and any other writer is that every brief is carefully researched to understand what keywords and phrases should be included to help the content perform well in the search engine results pages. They will write the content that will drive traffic, increase search engine rankings, grab the attention of the client’s audience and improve conversion rates.

If you're wondering how to write SEO copy, then here’s an idea of the process an SEO copywriter goes through with a piece of content:

  1. Select keywords and phrases that the target audience is actually searching for in a given subject area, product or industry.
  2. Research the contents of the page copy or blog post to provide the best value for the audience, and to engage and entertain.
  3. Write, while weaving the keywords and phrases throughout the content so that the copy is completely seamless and natural sounding.
  4. Craft an SEO-friendly meta title, meta description and additional acceptable 'hidden' content (such as alt tags) that will aid the reader and the search engine to understand the page contents.
  5. Use the best structure and layout for the copy to ensure it's logical and reader-friendly depending on their device and engagement behaviour.
  6. Add in internal and external links with converting anchor text.

Notice how none of that has anything to do with keyword stuffing? It’s not forcing or attempting to cheat their way to a better ranking. It’s simply writing the copy correctly for both the human audience and for the search engines.

Read More: How to use SEO in content writing

The benefits of hiring an SEO copywriter for your business

There are multiple benefits to hiring an SEO copywriter. Here are just some of the most advantageous:

  • Higher ranking in the search results
  • More organic, targeted traffic
  • Lower bounce rates on your site, with people sticking around longer to read your brilliant content
  • Increase in social sharing
  • Better conversion rates, whether that’s reading another page, asking for a quote, signing up to your newsletter or buying something
  • More people contacting you via emails or phone calls – basically more leads!
  • Building your mailing list quicker
  • Having someone around who can catch any SEO problems on your site and fix them
  • Working with someone who can help you improve your site and your user experience
  • Lower stress levels because you have someone you can rely on to do your copywriting so you can focus on other things
  • Better ROI due to… well, all of the above!

SEO copywriting, like any other copywriting, isn’t just about being found in the search engines. It’s about providing brilliant content that grabs your readers, builds trust and engages them by being authentic and passionate about your topic.

And as Marketing Insider Group makes clear, “When trust sells, what’s the real message the consumer is trying to convey to marketers? Make it real, and we’ll stick around”.

✏️Find out how you could benefit from SEO copywriting by getting in touch with us today.


Main image credit: Kaleidico 

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Gill Fernley

The director of her own copywriting firm, Gill writes B2B and B2C content for SMEs and digital marketing agencies. She has a background in performing arts and writes conversational, direct sales copy for businesses on a range of topics. She’s also a keen writer of chick lit.